Tonight's post is not so much a prayer but more a reflection intended to lead us to prayer on this night before the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ...
something gets broken
and something is spilled...
At the heart of our prayer every Sunday
is the broken Body of a Victim
whose blood has been spilled, shed, for us…
At the heart of our Sunday prayer is Jesus…
Am I referring the image of the Crucified on the Cross
that hovers over our prayer every week?
Well, that, too - but my primary reference is to
Christ's Body, broken for us
At the heart of our prayer every Sunday
is the broken Body of a Victim
whose blood has been spilled, shed, for us…
At the heart of our Sunday prayer is Jesus…
Am I referring the image of the Crucified on the Cross
that hovers over our prayer every week?
Well, that, too - but my primary reference is to
Christ's Body, broken for us
and Christ's Blood, spilled for us
in the Bread and Cup of the Eucharist.
I’m reminded here of Michelangelo’s great sculpture, the Pieta...
in the Bread and Cup of the Eucharist.
I’m reminded here of Michelangelo’s great sculpture, the Pieta...
Think of the Mary, the mother of Jesus,
holding the body of her crucified son
in her lap and her arms: the intimacy of that image...
See how Mary holds Jesus close to herself,
See how Mary holds Jesus close to herself,
as do we, every Sunday,
we hold Christ in our hands, not carved in marble,
but in the Bread and Cup,
in the flesh and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist.
With Mary's tenderness,
we hold Christ in our hands, not carved in marble,
but in the Bread and Cup,
in the flesh and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist.
With Mary's tenderness,
we hold the broken Body of Christ close to our hearts.
But more than hold him, we receive him,
we receive his brokenness into our own brokenness:
But more than hold him, we receive him,
we receive his brokenness into our own brokenness:
we receive Christ into the brokenness of our sins,
our broken hearts, our broken promises,
our broken bodies and spirits,
our broken relationships, hopes and dreams...
Is there anyone among us on a Sunday morning
who doesn’t bring some brokenness
to the Body of Christ broken for us?
We who are broken
our broken hearts, our broken promises,
our broken bodies and spirits,
our broken relationships, hopes and dreams...
Is there anyone among us on a Sunday morning
who doesn’t bring some brokenness
to the Body of Christ broken for us?
We who are broken
come to the One who was broken for our sakes,
to share in this simple bread, broken in his memory,
that our brokenness might be healed...
to share in this simple bread, broken in his memory,
that our brokenness might be healed...
We come to drink from his cup
that his precious Blood, shed for us,
might transfuse our weakness and hopelessness
and spill, a river, an ocean of life
might transfuse our weakness and hopelessness
and spill, a river, an ocean of life
coursing through the veins of our souls
with mercy, healing and grace...
The Eucharist invites us with our broken hearts
into the heart of Jesus, broken for us...
with mercy, healing and grace...
The Eucharist invites us with our broken hearts
into the heart of Jesus, broken for us...
The Eucharist invites us, in our thirst, to drink in
the Blood of the heart of the Lamb of God,
spilled for parched hearts...
In communion with the Body and Blood of Christ
and with one another
we find ourselves drawn to and into the heart of Jesus...
broken that we might be whole...
we find ourselves drawn to and into the heart of Jesus...
broken that we might be whole...
Protect us, Lord while we're awake
and watch over us while we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
Gift of Finest Wheat by Omer Westendorf
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